Cable operated closing means for bags and suitcases



June 12, 1951 v. FIORUCCI 2,556,324

CABLE OPERATED CLOSING MEANS FOR BAGS AND SUITCASES Filed Aug. 17, 1949Y -Mr llllllllll VII/III) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIAVAIIIIII/I];

' IN VEN TOR. Mm/13am Patented June 12, 1951 OFFICE v CABLE OPERATEDCLOSING MEANS FOR BAGS AND SUITCASES' Victor Fiorucci, Nice, FranceApplication August 17, 1949, Serial No. 110,802 In France November 9,1948 v9 Claims.

.xsuit-cases having a yielding cover are generally provided with aso-called lightening or zip fastener. It often occurs that such closingmeans aredefective in operation due to numerous reasons and much time islost for restoring them into their proper operative state. On the "otherhand, zipper closing means does not provide perfect fiuidtightness forthe suit-cases and their contents may be submitted to damage by reasonof the possible seeping of water or the like jobjectionable fluidmaterial inside it.

According to my invention, I provide suit-cases of any description witha very simple closing system that removes these drawbacks, that ispractically proof against misadjustment and provides for perfectfluidtightness of the suit-case.

This closing system includes chiefly a normally slack cable lying overall or part of the periphery of the edge opening of the cover of thesuitease and provided with fastening means, operable through a smallouter lever controlling the tensioning and slacking of the cable.

In an embodiment of the invention the case may be closed tight by atensioning device incorporating a cam and a pawl and ratchet to providea gradual tensioning of a cable and prevent untimely slackening of thecable. It .also provides means that prevent passing a hand between theedges forming the opening of the bag when the cable is tensioned.

My invention is applicable to any suit-cases even of a rigid typeprovided they incorporate a yielding sheath inside which the cable mayslide, the remainder of the cover edge andthe tween the cover and thebody of the suitease, Turning to the embodiment illustrated in Figs-: 1to 4, the closing system includes a cable I ofwhich one end is securedto a stationary point 2 and the other to a point 3 in the peripheral.-groove of a cam 4. This cable is positioned" in": the extreme edgeportion of the cover, which edge 2 portion is then folded over andsecured through sewing or any other suitable means to form a flexiblesheath for the cable. r

The lateral corners of the walls of the'suitcase cover and body arerounded to allow the sheathed cable to hug the underlying surfaces. Thecam 4 is mounted to turn with its shaft 5 in a casing I I, which casingis secured outside the suitcase cover; said cam is provided on itscurved periphery with a notch or notches; 6 engageable by a pawl 8 whenin register. An' outside lever I is keyed to shaft 5 to turn the cam[Within the casing I I when the pawl 8 is disengaged from the notch 6 bya removable key I Zagainst the resistance of a pawl spring ID. Thespring I0 normally moves the pawl 8 towards the curved periphery of saidcam. When the pawl 8 is disengaged from the notch 6, the cable isprovided with suflicient slack, and the suitcase may be opened. Bymoving the lever I from the position shown in dotted lines to that shownin dash and dot lines in Figure 3, the cable is tensioned to take up theslack, and the cover of the suitcase is locked to the body of the same.

Throughout or a part of the-periphery of the wall of the suit-case bodyis provided with a bead I3 constituted by a small rod of semi-circularcross-section or by a rib integral with the suitcasewall if the latteris of metal. The edge of the cover carrying the cable sheath. registerswith said projection or bead I3 so that the cable when tensioned, saidcable is then locked against the lower edge of said projection. It isalso possible to provide two cables located to eitherside of theprojection or again two projectionsand two cables which. allow'a'tighter casing to be obtained.

. The operation of the closing system is a follows: The extreme edge ofthe cover is fitted over the bead I3. The lever 'I is then moved so' asto turn thecam 4 and to tension the cable I held inside the groove ofsaid cam; the cable pressure exerted on the edge of the cover and theWall of the suit-case. body under cover and on the lower portion. of thebead I3; thus providing a perfect closing and absolute fluid tightnessof the suit-case.

The lever I is locked in closed position of the suitcase .throughtheaction of the spring In on the pawl 8 which engages the notch 6 in thecam 4. To move the lever I back and thereby to slackenthe cable foropening the'cover, it is sufiicient to moveflthe key I2 to disengage thepawl 8 from the cam whereby it is possible to return the lever I intoits starting cable releasing position that is, providing cable slack.

The arrangement illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 is to prevent any oneinserting a hand inside the suit-case by moving the edge of the coveraway from the body thereof when the cable is tensioned. Said arrangementcarried on the body of the suit-case includes one or more forks 4|located in the immediate vicinity and just underneath the bead I3 on thesuit-case body; one or more rivets..42i are rigidly secured just abovethe sheath containing the cable I whereby when drawing in the cable forclosing the suit-case; the rivets 42 engage the interval between thearms of the fork a'l which positively prevents-any moving of the edge ofthe cover with reference to the Wall of the suit-case body.

Furthermore, instead of providing a bead l3 as hereinbefore describedfor engagement with the cable, it is possible to provide a groove insidewhich said cable fits tightly when it is stretched.

Obviously the closing means described may be submitted to variousmodifications within the scope. of accompanying claims while. the-partsforming it may be designediinany shape and size .andof any material asdesired orconvenient.

WhatI claimis: l. In.- suit-cases and the likecontainers providedwith abodyand a cover overlapping same, a closing. arrangement including asheath provided along the edge of the cover ofthe-con--tainer,,a-cable.lying insidesaid sheath and hand' operable meansactinglon' the cable'for' tensioning same and clamping it intoengagement withthe underlying portion of the container body, at leastone forked member located on the body of the container. in registerwiththe. path followed: by the. cableand at least oneprojection-carriediby thecable sheathengageable with said fork upontensioning of the cable.

2. In .a suitcase, a rigid bead on the-face at one; edge of. thecaseopening'andsubstantially parallel. to the: edge, asheath offlexible. materiallatithe'z other edge of theopening, anormallyslackrcable. in the. sheath having its ends. anchored at. the

ends of the sheath,. said sheathed. cable lying below the rigid memberwhen the: opening is closed, cable? tensioning means secured to the.

sheath edge and engaging the cable, and separable. interlocking meanspositioned at the edges ofrthe opem'ng and locking when the cableistensioned to' bringthe same against. the bead.

3. A suitcase'having a rig-idbead' atione edge" of. the opening andparallel thereto, a sheath: of flexiblematerial borderingthe other edgeof. the. opening, a normally' slack cable inthe' sheath. having the endsthereof anchored. to: the ends.

of the sheath, said sheathed cable" lying: below the: rigid member whenthe: opening, is closed, cable tensioning means. secured to the sheathedge andengaging the cable, and separableinterelocking means positionedat the edges of the opening; ontheoutersurface of the: rigid member andinner surfacerofthe sheathed edge and adapted to be locked when thesheathed cable'is tensioned cable, and separable interlocking meanshaving parts secured near the edge of the sheathed cable and cooperatingparts secured on the edge where the bead is provided, said parts adaptedto interlock when the cable is tensioned to bring the same against thelower edge of the bead when the case is closed.

5. A suitcase comprisingga body section and a cover section hinged tothebody section; the corners of the lateral walls of both sections beingrounded, the said lateral Walls of the cover adapted .to nesttheproximate parts of said lateral walls of the body section when the coveris closed on the body, rigid beaded sections on the rounded corners ofthe body walls below the exposed edges of said walls and substantiallyparallel to said edges and in a substantially common plane, a flexiblesheath bordering the exposed edges of the walls of the cover to locatebelow the said beads when the cover is:closed, a normally slack cable insaid sheathhaving itszends anchoredi to the. cover: atthe. sheathends;and-a cable-tension ing, device. secured to;v the cover: at the; sheath.to: engage. the cable to tensionthesame in thesheathz about the nested.walls. of. the body and. against: the said beads v-Jhen'thecaseiis'closed.

6. A suitcasehaving aibody'section andta cover:- section, said body'andfcover. sections having the; corners between their lateralwallsroun'ded',said; cover 'walls'nestingthe upper portion ofisa'id bodywalls when the. cover is on" the body, the..e'dges; of the body andcover: walls: defining. the case opening, said rounded: corners'of thebod'y: sec=-- tion having means on the face thereof disposedf below saidedges of saidbody section and parallel'l to engage th means when thecable is tensioned whilethe case is closed.

7. A suitcaseh'aving rounded wall-cornersris ing from the bottomandextending from the top, the rounded w'alls'of' the top nesting theproxi'- mate upper portions of the walls rising from the bottom when thecase is--closed;'the exposed edges of said'top and bottom wallsdefining-'the opening of the-case; a sheath of? flexible material bordering the exposed edges-of thetop, a normally slack cable-in the sheathhaving its' ends an-- chored' to the cover at the ends of the sheath,cable tensioning means securedto' the top and engaging the sheathedcable; and alining' spaced apart co-planar beads of rigidmaterial on thewalls rising fromthe-bottom; said beads-adapted: to lie above thesheathed cable when the case. is closed, saidsheathed cable adapted to'engage the lower edge of said beads when the sheathed cable istensionedagainst the portionof the walls nested under the walls of thecover.

8; A suitcase having a' body secti'onand a cover section, said body andcover sections havingthe' corners between their lateral walls rounded,said cover walls nesting theupper portion of'said'bod'y" walls when thecover is on the-body; theedgesiOf the body and'cover walls definingthecase open.-

ing, said body section'having' meanson the outer;

face thereof'dispcsed below the edge of said wallsand parallel thereto,a sheath of'fl'exibie material bordering the exposed edges of the cover.and

adapted to locate-at the meanswhen' thecover" is closed, a normallyslack cable in the sheath having its ends anchored to the cover at thesheath ends, and a cable tensioning device secured to the cover at thesheath and engaging the cable to draw the sheathed cable against thenested walls of the body section and into engagement with the means whenthe cable is tensioned while the case is closed.

9. A suitcase, comprising a body section having rigid walls, a cover forsaid body section, a normally slack cable carried by the unattachededges of the cover and sheathing said cable thereat to permit a relativemovement between the cable and sheath, cable actuating means secured tothe cover and engaging the cable, said body section having means on theouter face of the walls below the edges engageable by the cover tounder- He said sheathed cable, said latter means being 6 adapted to beengaged by the sheathed cable when the cable is tensioned by the cableactuating means and whereby the cover is locked to the body.

F'IORUCCI, VICTOR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

